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I love to experiment with food. Recently I was given Jamie Oliver’s book, Jamie’s Italy (2005 Edition), and yesterday I decided to try one of his recipes. I like his of cooking, and the idea of putting everything into one pot or dish really suits me. It’s easy food, that tastes great; it definitely works for me!

Currently, my husband and I are traveling quite a bit and therefore we often eat away from home. Each Tuesday we have dinner with a family from our church; everyone brings a dish, which we then share together. It’s fun, and we never know what we’ll have the opportunity to taste!

Whatever I decide to bring each week needs be something which can be re-heated and still taste reasonable. It must also be quick and easy to prepare, as I don’t have much time to spare on Tuesdays.

This recipe is taken directly from Jamie’s book, with very slight modifications from myself. According to Jamie, this dish is loved all over Italy. I hope you enjoy!

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes and Mozzarella (pasta al forno con pomodori e mozzarella)

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 or 2 dried red chilies, crumbled
• 1.5kg / 3 1/4 lb ripe tomatoes or 3 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
• A large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 400g / 14oz dried orecchiette
• 4 handfuls of freshly grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
• 3 x 150g balls of reduced-fat mozzarella

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and put a large pot of water on to boil.
2. To an appropriately sized pan add two tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil, your onion, garlic and chili and slowly fry for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat until softened but without any colour.
3. If you’re using fresh tomatoes, remove the core with the tip of a small knife, plunge them into the boiling water for about 40 seconds until their skin starts to come away, then remove with a slotted spoon or sieve and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Put the tomatoes into a bowl and run cold water over them, then slide the skins off, squeeze out the pips and roughly chop.
5. Add your fresh or tinned tomatoes to the onion and garlic, with a small glass of water.
6. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes.
7. Now put them through a food processor or liquidizer to make a loose sauce.
8. Tear your basil leaves into the sauce and correct the seasoning with pepper.
9. When the liquidized sauce tastes perfect, bring the water back to the boil.
10. Add the orecchiette to the water and cook according to the packet instructions, then drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and a handful of Parmesan.
11. Layer a little pasta in the baking tray, followed by some tomato sauce, a handful of grated Parmesan and 1 sliced-up mozzarella ball, then repeat these layers until you’ve used all the ingredients, ending with a layer of cheese on top.
12. Pop it into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden, crisp and bubbling.
13. Italians seem happy to eat this dish at room temperature or quite cold, but I prefer to eat mine hot.

Suggestion:

Serve with a tossed salad and grilled chicken for a gorgeous, simple meal!

My verdict

It was actually really good! The fact that it was so easy and extremely tasty made the effort of cooking the sauce from basics even better! It also fits all of my specifications for a ‘Tuesday’ meal. So, for me, it was a great all-rounder and I would definitely cook this dish again!

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